


The Hearts of Titans

by Melifair



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: AU, Angst, Crossover, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Multi, eventual OT3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 13:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/926778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melifair/pseuds/Melifair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The heart of a jaeger is her human pilots. Hearts can be broken, but also mended. In which Steve and Bucky are copilots and Darcy is their mechanic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Irritation

**Author's Note:**

> In which Darcy is Steve and Bucky's mechanic, and Bucky is a pain in the ass :)

Darcy feels herself reaching new levels of irritation every time Bucky twitches and knocks her wrench loose from its grip on the nut to the screw she's supposed to be tightening. The repair to the foot clamp of his Conn-Pod harness would be over by now, but the dumb jerk-face just keeps showboating for Mako despite his knowledge that she's Becket's girl. 

Darcy glances at Steve who is quietly watching the whole scene from the other side of the Conn-Pod and he just shakes his head in a combination of exasperation and amusement. 

All the while Bucky is still trying to impress poor Mako and when he actually makes her drop her wrench, she snaps; "Dammit Barnes, if you don't stay still, I'm gonna shove this wrench where it ain't shiny!" 

Steve snorts and Mako snickers, but ultimately the best result of her promise is Bucky's silence.


	2. Flirtation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve has a crush on his mechanic, and Bucky is still a pain in the ass ;)

It grows quiet in the Conn-Pod as Bucky leaves Steve and Darcy alone to follow after Miss Mori in his unrelenting and boisterous attempts to impress her, though not before tossing Steve a glance over his shoulder that speaks volumes for their time as copilots. Bucky's never said anything about Steve's attraction to their mechanic...out of drift in any case. 

"You're thinking really loud," Darcy states, breaking the silence as she looks up at him from her kneeled position where she's aligning his foot with the harness' clamp and her cheeks flush under the grease that dapples her skin, "you make a girl blush, Cap."

He's never been one to have the balls or social skills to flirt if his life depended on it, but he's pretty sure his history of drifting with Bucky left an indelible mark upon his psyche, which combined with Darcy's straightforward insight to his supposedly private thoughts, spurred the next words out of his mouth.

"Can you blame me?"


	3. Isolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the unexpected leaves Steve with nothing but memories.

Warning of a level four kaiju makes its way across the Shatterdome and after a brief moment of uncertain panic everyone jumps to adrenalized action readying copilots and jaegers for combat. The decision is made to send Steve and Bucky out as the first line of defense while having the other jaegers ready to go if necessary, which it shouldn't be given the fight record they hold piloting Brooklyn Brawler. 

No one ever plans for bad things to happen, and he and Bucky are certainly no exception to that way of thinking even as they knowingly put themselves in the line of danger with every mission. So when Brawler's shield is shattered, the Conn-Pod is breached, and Bucky is ripped away bodily and mentally, the shock stabs through Steve as their connection is severed. 

Steve wakes up sometime later as they are rushing him down a hallway and he hears Darcy calling his name, but he can't bring himself to look at her because he breaks, letting the tears flood his eyes when remembers Bucky's last smile and words of advice in the drift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry!!! It will get better! I promise!!!


	4. Consolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve copes through avoidance, and Mako is a supportive friend.

Steve is up on his feet a few days after the incident and he's putting up a good pretense of acceptance though Darcy knows or at least very strongly suspects that he's not handling the whole situation as calmly as he would like everyone to believe. She's tried on several occasions to talk to him and distract him and offer any support she can, but he's been avoiding her every chance he gets. 

Another day passes, and She and Mako are in the main mess hall sharing a table when the room grows quiet and they both look up to see Steve scanning around for somewhere to sit until his gaze meets Darcy and he turns to leave with a furrowed brow and clenched jaw. Her cheeks burn when the hall's occupants all look at her after his departure and she fights back the urge to cry, knowing that her own hurt feelings are a silly and selfish reaction when Steve is the one hurting the most. 

It startles Darcy to feel a hand on hers and she looks down to see that it's Mako's, who reassures her with a gentle squeeze and a kind, understanding smile, "He just needs time."


	5. Compassion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Raleigh understands what Steve is going through.

Raleigh knows there's no sense in comparing one person's loss with another's particularly when the circumstances of that loss are so similar and the person coping with their pain is doing the exact thing Raleigh did when Yancy was pulled from their drift. He knows that Steve is bottling it all up and he's seen how much it's affecting those around him especially the Lewis girl, so when Raleigh finds Steve alone in the gym beating the shit out of a punching bag, he challenges him to a spar. 

It starts out as a good distraction with Steve proving himself to be an excellent opponent, but it's not long before Raleigh sees the exact moment Steve recognizes the potential drift compatibility and all his precise blocks and attacks suddenly falter. He tries to compensate with erratic vehemence that yields far too many weaknesses and when Raleigh knocks him flat on his back, the dam breaks. 

Raleigh doesn't pass judgement, he just sits next to him as the man let's it out, only leaving quietly with Mako once the Lewis girl arrives and Steve is in her embrace.


	6. Affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy offers the comfort Steve desperately needs.

Hours have passed and Steve is no longer crying but she still holds him and massages her fingers through his hair until he shifts against her shoulder and mumbles, "I'm sorry." Darcy shushes him before he tries to explains himself and tells him, "don't be silly, there's nothing for you to be sorry about." 

A few minutes more go by before she encourages him up off the floor and leads him back to his quarters taking as many obscure routes as necessary to avoid running into anyone on their way. Steve is a capable man, though ultimately he's human and he's been trough hell and she learned quickly that the sympathetic looks everyone has been giving him - including herself - were wearing him down. 

"Please don't go..." he pleads after a moment of reluctance when they finally reach his door and she worries silently to herself if its a good idea to give in, but after looking into his eyes she can't bring herself to say no and instead tells him, "I'm not going anywhere."


	7. Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve has new found determination, and so does Darcy.

Steve is still not over Bucky and it will probably be a long time before he's really able to come to terms with his loss, but Kaiju attacks have been increasing in frequency and severity over the past few weeks and without even thinking, he forms an immediate and commanding resolve to deal with the threat. 

He hasn't actually gone to see Brooklyn Brawler since the incident and when he spots her in the hangar surrounded by teams of mechanics making repairs he remembers the first day he and Bucky laid eyes on her. Though it's a bittersweet reunion that nearly knocks him off his feet as he remembers all the times they trained to pilot Brawler together and especially all the shared memories from the drift. 

When the memories start to overwhelm him, he briefly wonders if this was a good idea, but the determination is still there and he shakes his head clear of those thoughts so he can make his way to the Conn-Pod lift. The ride up is time enough to shift his thoughts to the nightly reassurance Darcy has given him over the past week, though all of his thoughts vanish when the lift gate opens and he sees her wearing Bucky's Conn-Pod harness as she tightens her wrench.


	8. Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve reacts and there is acceptance.

The momentary shock of finding Darcy in Bucky's harness sparks a sudden anger and when she guides the arm through a successful punch without grinding any gears he shouts before his brain can catch up with his mouth, "What are you doing?!"

She gasps and turns simultaneously dropping her wrench and sending it to the floor in a series of clanks that are far too loud despite the ambient sounds of workers outside the Conn-Pod. The worry and guilt is evident on her face when she moves as if to approach him only to be held back in place by the harness and it suddenly occurs to him that they would try to get Brawler operational again as soon as possible.

"I wanted to tell you, but they..." she begins after awkwardly detangling herself though the words fade away when she looks up at him. There's a silent communication between them the moment their gazes meet and explanations don't matter anymore because all he needs to ask is, "how long 'til she's ready?"


	9. Apprehension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which routine is disrupted by an unanticipated discovery.

Over the next week Darcy continues to make repairs in the Conn-Pod and Steve takes to training again even though Pentecost and the other higher ups are still hesitant about staging copilot trials so soon after suffering such a devastating loss. The hesitation is only tempered by the desperation to combat increasing threat of Kaiju and Fury in turn appoints Stark to work with Darcy in hopes of speeding up the process of repairs. 

There isn't much down time except at the end of each day when Steve comes to her door in what has become a unspoken but unanimous effort on both their parts to forget his inner turmoil. She's pretty sure by now that most who have caught on to their routine just assume the nightly visits are about sex, but she doesn't attempt to correct them or even reassure her gal pals that she's still a virgin because quite frankly it's not anyone's business.

A few days later Darcy is glad when Coulson pulls her away from her duties since Stark neuroses are seriously getting on her nerves, but the relief is short lived despite collecting Steve along the way, because once they reach the main lab the first words out of Newt's mouth when he spots them are, "they have Barnes."


	10. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Newt does something stupid, and Bucky might not be so dead.

The atmosphere is silent and palpably thick in tension as no one moves or even speaks after Newt's revelation; at least not until Steve cuts it with a sharp demand for an explanation. It all comes out in a rush of words and noise and mentions of drifting with Kaiju, and Darcy almost wishes for the uncomfortable silence again, but Steve's voice drowns out everything as he booms, "Who has Bucky?!"

"Th...the Kaiju..." Newt stutters and is visibly frightened by Steve's reaction and Darcy can't blame him; She's never seen him so unhinged and by everyone else's stunned faces she and Newt aren't alone in that perception. 

A few moments later, after the situation is deflected to Newt's drifting indiscretion, Steve storms out of the lab, no doubt to beat the hell out of some punching bags. She's about to sneak out since it's just awkward to stick around and watch Newt get reprimanded, and she thinks she might catch up with Steve, but before she can get even two steps out the door, Coulson stops her and states, "I hope your combat skills haven't gotten rusty while you've been playing mechanic all this time..."


	11. Deconstruction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky is unmade.

He's not aware of anything but pain - blinding, all consuming pain that radiates from somewhere not that far from the erratic pounding in his chest - pain that sharpens excruciatingly beyond any threshold he's ever faced and induces hallucinations that challenge his sanity. 

Images mix and mesh and meld in a horrifying swirl that leaves him grateful for the brief respites in which he sees nothing, hears nothing, and feels nothing. The nothingness is a comfort amidst all the unseen horror, so he lets himself slip, lets every last shred of what he has left of himself slide into the void where it's safe...even at the cost of being lost forever. 

Eventually he becomes so lost, that he's not sure where he ends and the Kaiju begin - because they are in his head feeding his empty, starved mind something other than pain. They feed him purpose through focus and conquest, and he's too far gone to realize he was anything but the empty shell they've hollowed to the core.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collection of related 5 sentence ficlets. It is a challenge to myself to focus my words and thoughts to better my writing. I hope you enjoy!!! :)


End file.
